Interlinked
by Enya Talisman
Summary: In a simple sentence, Nico's meeting with a foreign MMORPG player online is really due to the consequences of her friends' actions. AU (Supposedly drama, ended up containing slight humour at the end)


So this is going to be my first time at a drama story, which to be honest I accidentally deleted the document quite a while back... Meh, whatever. I don't own anything.

XXXXXX

"What the hell is going on?!" Nico angrily asked, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had came back from work after doing overtime, only to discover her girlfriend of two years in bed with another woman. To make things worse, the very woman was Nico's best friend of six years. "Answer me!"

"I was sexually frustrated alright? I can't keep holding it in every time you refuse me sex." Nico's girlfriend, a doctor by the name of Maki Nishikino, responded. She wasn't looking Nico in the eyes, her amethyst orbs choosing to stare at the white sheet covering the two women.

"That doesn't mean you can go behind my back and cheat on me! And you! Kotori, I trusted you! You were my best friend, how could you do this to me?!" Nico questioned, her voice turning hard. Kotori yelped, feeling guilty that she had willingly slept with her best friend's girlfriend.

"I-I was lonely... and Maki-chan offered me comfort when I needed it most..." Kotori tried to explain, but was cut off by Nico's furious cries.

"You had sex with Kotori when she was lonely?! Maki Nishikino, never have I expected you to stoop this low!"

"I-It's not like that Nico-chan! Maki-chan wasn't-"

"Don't you _dare_ address me so casually from now on Minami-san."

"Nico-chan, pl-"

"I told you-"

"Shut up!" Maki shouted, glaring at Nico coldly. "When I needed warmth the most, Kotori was there for me. Yes, I loved you but now that's all in the past. Now if you could kindly leave my apartment, that would be for the best."

"Fine! Happy fucking you guys! I don't give a fuck about you two anymore!" Nico spat out, storming out of Maki's apartment immediately. Nico then sprinted back to her own apartment, tears in her eyes as she tried to purge the image of Maki and Kotori sweaty in the bed Maki and she herself shared.

"Why?! Why did things turn out this way...?! God damn it...!" Nico barged into her apartment, locking the door first before proceeding to cry into her pillow. To comfort herself, she mentally chanted a mantra so as to convince herself that none of it was her fault.

 _'She just can't appreciate me, it's her. Her fault, not mine...'_

XXXXXX

"Are you alright?" A woman with navy blue hair asked Nico, concern etched on her face. She was Nico's employee at a flower shop along with another woman, probably the longest colleague she had ever known.

"Duh. I'm not Super Florist Nico-nii for nothing." Nico scoffed, wrapping up a bunch of multi-coloured flowers into a bouquet. "Why do you ask Umi?"

"There _is something_ wrong with you. You're not as upbeat as usual." Umi replied, a concerned look on her face. Though she wouldn't deem herself as particularly close to Nico despite knowing her for years, she wanted to help her employer out even if it's a little.

"Am I that easy to read? It's not much of an issue though, just some personal stuff..." Nico sighed, going back to the flowers. It wasn't that she didn't trust Umi, she did place her trust in her. It's just that her damaged relationship with Maki was indirectly due to Umi. Not that she'll ever tell her that.

"Well, I won't push you if you're not comfortable in sharing. But if you need someone to turn to, you can always come to me." Umi relented, going back to the counter.

"Hey guys! Rin's here to help nya!" An orange-haired woman burst into the shop, a smile on her face. Upon seeing Nico's scowl, her smile dropped. "What's wrong nya?"

"Why does everyone keep on asking me whether I'm fine?! I'm perfectly fine okay! F-I-N-E." Nico grumbled, holding a pair of scissors dangerously.

"You're definitely not well enough to hold that pair of scissors nya!" Rin pointed out, prying the scissors away from Nico's petite hand.

"I agree. You should take the day off." Umi agreed, taking hold of the scissors.

"You guys do remember who's hiring the both of you right?" Nico simply said, folding her arms. Rin paled while Umi frowned, disliking how Nico used her status to get her way.

"And if you fire the both of us, who's going to help you? Now go out and calm down before returning here." Umi pushed her employer out of the flower shop, putting up a sign that read 'No Nico Yazawas allowed'.

"Damn it!" Nico kicked a rock as she stormed down the pavement, silently cursing herself for her string of bad luck. First she caught her ex-girlfriend in bed with her best friend, next she was thrown out of her own shop by her employee. _'What next?! I'm going hit a lamp post soon?!'_

"Ow?!" Nico had ran into a lamp post while she has deep in thought, causing her to not pay attention to her surroundings. "You know what, fuck this. I'm going back to bed, Umi can handle the shop."

With that, she went home without a care to her job, rather spending her time doing nothing than to earn some money.

XXXXXX

"Nothing on FaceBook, nothing on Skype, nothing on _anything_!" Nico sighed as she muffled her bored groans with her pillow. With a click, she opened up a MMORPG and played it mindlessly. That is, until she spotted a game character that caught her eye.

"Woah, that character is hot. Wait, am I getting attracted by a game character?!" Nico panicked at the plausibility of being attracted to a virtual character for a second before going up to her and chat.

 _PyonPyon25: [hey there, do u wanna team up 4 a quest?]_

 _Harasho2110: [I don't see why not. Would you like to become friends for easier communication for the quest later?]_

 _PyonPyon25: [im adding u now]_

Nico then proceeded to add Harasho2110 to her friend list, obtaining the game info of her new friend.

 _PyonPyon25: [done now lets go n choose a quest]_

 _Harasho2110: [Alright then, there's a quest board nearby. I think there are some quests with decent rewards...]_

In the end, Nico spent four whole hours playing along side Harasho2110. For the first time in months since she had started playing the MMORPG, she felt a sense of thrill talking to the other party. More often than not, she always loathed the spam other players would type.

 _PyonPyon25: [well that was rewarding]_

 _Harasho2110: [Indeed. May I ask you a question?]_

 _PyonPyon25: [go ahead]_

 _Harasho2110: [Do you want to get to know each other in real life?]_

 _PyonPyon25: [why]_

 _Harasho2110: [I've taken an interest to you and not just your game character. If you don't feel comfortable with this, feel free to walk away.]_

 _PyonPyon25: [nah i just wanna know why what social account do u have]_

 _Harasho2110: [I have Skype, is that okay with you?]_

 _PyonPyon25: [sure just gimme ur account n i'll add u later]_

Harasho2110 soon gave Nico the account name, providing her with the opportunity to add a new friend to Nico's (bare) list of Skype friends.

"Two can play at this game Maki. You're the only one who can break hearts." Nico grinned creepily as she proceeded to send a friend request to Harasho2110.

 _'I'll never forgive you Maki. I'll make you regret dumping me for Minami-san.'_

XXXXXX

Eli was at home resting after a hard day of work at a model agency. Despite having a tiring job of modelling, she was perfectly able to manage her time well enough to get off work early (she was allowed to leave three hours earlier) and to spend time with her most favourite MMORPG. Just recently, she had met an interesting virtual character that she found interesting to talk to.

"I wonder if the player is a female or a male...? Maybe I should check to see whether I've received and friend requests..." Eli muttered to herself and logged into her Skype account, smiling at the request she had gotten. _'Well that is fast... Is that PyonPyon25...?'_ Nevertheless, she accepted the sender of the request and was soon messaged by said person.

 _Nico Yazawa: for a sec i thot u were bathing or smthn_

 _Eli Ayase: Not really, it's three in the afternoon over here. So you're a female player._

 _Nico Yazawa: u thot i was a guy didnt u, sorry 4 getting ur hopes up_

 _Eli Ayase: It's fine, nice name by the way._

 _Nico Yazawa: thks, where r u from anyway_

 _Eli Ayase: Russia, but I'm only 1/4 Russian._

 _Nico Yazawa: well that explains ur name_

 _Eli Ayase: Yeah, kind of. You're from Japan?_

 _Nico Yazawa: yea_

Eli then spent at least an hour chatting away with Nico, only logging off after realising the time in Japan. Satisfied with the conversation, Eli left the computer, only to accidentally knock a framed picture off a counter. As she picked up the now cracked frame, tears started to brim at her eyes as memories of the picture came back to her. It was just a simple photograph with herself and a byzantium-haired woman hugging intimately, but for Eli it was a constant reminder of the hole in her heart. Unconsciously, her mind was overwhelmed with the last memory of the woman.

 _"Elichi... I'm sorry." She said as tears brimmed in her turquoise eyes, wiping them away with the back of her hand. I simply stood there, confused by her words._

 _"W-What do you mean Nozomi? What are you sorry for?" I asked, fearing for the worst. She turned her face away from me, a hurt voice coming out instead of her usual sweet tone._

 _"Let's break up." She then walked away from me, leaving me in the snow. All I knew was that I was crying, possibly like a child as many looked at me in pure disgust._

"Eli Ayase, just forget her. I-It's not like crying over her would mend our relationship..." Eli convinced herself, failing miserably as she collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her porcelain cheeks.

 _'Nozomi... Why did you break up with me...? Just why...?'_

XXXXXX

"You seem happy Nicocchi." A woman with turquoise eyes asked Nico, who was sporting a silly grin on her face.

"Me? No way, what about you? Your stupid Cheshire smile is gone." Nico replied, failing miserably at wiping the smile on her own face. The woman had a look of surprise before smiling gently.

"My my my... Nicocchi has learnt to talk back to her dear Non-tan!"

"Geez, Nozomi. If you have nothing better to do then get the hell outta here." Nico sighed, going back to her work. Though that day wasn't as particularly hectic as usual, both Umi and Rin were off on their breaks, making the owner busier than usual.

"Actually I do have some business here. I want you to help me deliver a bouquet to a celebration on the sixteenth, in three months time." Nozomi replied, holding up a card with the necessary information on it.

"What flowers do you want?"

"Oh I don't know, flowers to congratulate someone? I'll even pay you extra for the personal delivery service!"

"Wait what?! I'm the one who has to deliver it?!"

"Yup! Also, stick around for the ceremony. Make sure to draw a card from a black box with a globe picture! See ya!" With that, Nozomi rushed out of the flower shop, bumping into Rin on the way.

"Rin's back nya! Umi-chan's girlfriend just passed by, did she ask you to do something?" Rin asked, bouncing over to Nico's phone, which was left unattended on the counter. "Ooh, a message nya!"

"Don't you dare look in there!" Nico stopped what she was doing and hastily snatched her phone away from Rin's grip. Nico then sported a light blush as she typed away on her phone, making Rin grin.

"Someone's got a girlfriend! Wait, Rin thought that Nico-chan is dating Maki-chan nya...?" Rin stopped, still unaware of Nico's recent breakup with Maki. Nico frowned and ignored her employee, focusing her attention on the steady stream of incoming messages.

"Rin, get back to work while I... entertain this client." Nico fumbled for a believable lie before excusing herself, leaving Rin suspicious.

"Rin, where's Nico?" Umi asked, entering the flower shop for work. Rin then jerked a thumb to the storeroom where Nico was, a small frown on her face. "Rin, are you okay?"

"Nya? Rin's fine! Rin's not Nyan Nyan Florist for nothing!" Umi facepalmed at the name her colleague had given herself but continued with her inquiries.

"You just remind me of Nico a few days ago. I think she's going through something right now..."

"Oh yeah! Rin thinks that she's cheating on Maki-chan nya!"

"What?! What makes you say that?" Umi asked, not pushing away the possibility that her employer and Maki had hit an obstacle in their relationship.

"Nico-chan was like 'eeeeeeee' when she saw the message nya..." Rin scratched her head, glancing at the door. "And you know Nico-chan doesn't smile as she used to lately nya..."

"I'll have a bunny to bunny chat with her." Umi said with an air of finality, going over to the storeroom and kicking it open, revealing a Nico with a silly grin on her face. "Nico! We're gonna have a bunny to bunny chat right now!"

"Rin doesn't think Nico-chan appreciates the bunny talk..." Rin murmured to herself as Nico hurled a string of vulgarities at her employee, said employee glaring menacingly.

XXXXXX

"W-Will I be able to do this? She's going to call me in 30 minutes, w-will this strange erratic beating of my heart stop soon...?" Eli asked herself, pacing up and down as she was expecting a video call from Nico in 30 minutes. Recently for her, Eli's heart beat faster whenever she was messaging Nico. Not only that, it sent her into a sense of happiness that she used to feel when she started dating Nozomi.

"A-Am I in love with Yazawa-san...?" Eli brought her hands to her reddening face, releasing sounds that vaguely resembled groans. _'No no no! I absolutely can't be in love with her! Plus I didn't even see her in person! Yet, but still!'_ It was then the expected call came in, snapping Eli out of her trance. Eli immediately accepted the call, bringing her face to face with a girlish face.

"Nice to meet ya I guess, I'm Nico Yazawa." Nico introduced herself, averting her eyes away from the screen. "... You're totally thinking that I'm too young to be on social media right?"

"Not really, you mentioned that you're 26. I'll just give you the benefit of doubt that you simply look young for your age~" Eli smirked, grinning at Nico's pout.

"I am though. Say, are you sick? We don't have to do this if you're forcing yourself..." Nico pointed out, a concerned look etched across her face.

"N-No, I'm fine! I-It's really great to finally have the opportunity to meet you Nico..." Eli blushed even further, covering her face with her left hand by resting on it.

"Same here Eli. You have a damned figure if I should say so myself. Sold your soul for such miracle eh?"

"Not really actually. If anything, what did you pay for such a youthful face?"

"My smile! I have a great smile and an equally great catchphrase to go with it! For a limited time a pose would be packaged with those two!"

"Heh~ I want to see it, may I?" Upon hearing Eli's request, Nico blushed a bright red before nodding. She then took in a deep breath and...

"Nico nico nii~" Nico smiled as sweetly as she could, both of her hands forming an 'I love you' gesture in sign language.

"H-Harasho! That was really wonderful!" Eli could do nothing but to clap, in awe of Nico's smile. The two of them talked for hours until Eli decided that Nico should go to sleep soon.

"Aw no way~ Oh well, I guess we should do this soon?" Nico asked, grinning light-heartedly.

"I agree. Hey, I'm coming to Japan on the sixteenth for work. Maybe I could drop by your workplace afterwards?"

"Sure why not. Make sure you give me a call when you're done!"

"Yeah, I will. Hey Nico, there's something that you should know..." Eli said solemnly, her cerulean eyes boring into Nico's ruby eyes.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Ya lyublyu tebya!" With that being said, Eli hurriedly disconnected the call between herself and Nico. She gave herself five minutes to calm herself down before reorganising her thoughts and the gravity of her last words.

"Oh for the love of harasho... W-Why did I tell her that?! I'm such a fool!" Eli began to mentally beat herself up over what she said to Nico, instantly regretting her decision five minutes ago.

 _'Why must I be in love all things...?'_

XXXXXX

"What did she mean when she said that...?" Nico asked herself as she mindlessly went about her work.

"Said what Nicocchi?" Nozomi appeared in the shop, leaning against a counter with vases filled with flowers.

"N-Nothing! I think it's Russian but meh... wait. You broke up with a Russian a while back right?" Nico asked, making Nozomi's usual cheery expression fade. "What did I say wrong?"

"Yeah... I seriously broke her heart big time..." Nozomi sighed, averting her eyes from Nico.

"Funny, Umi also broke her ex's heart too before getting together with you... Unless..." Nico stopped, staring at Nozomi with a horrified gasp. " _You_ caused _my_ ex to get it with Umi's!"

"I-It wasn't intentional! Think about it, would you rather break up before you're caught cheating or after?!" Nozomi defended, panicking at her friend's revelation.

"B-Before I guess..." Nico admitted, she would rather get over her ex before she caught them in the act. Like how she did with Maki and Kotori a few months back.

"See, that's what me and Umi-chan decided to do. Although, I'm more heartless than Umi-chan..."

"Why so? I mean, not like Umi's was any better..."

"I... didn't explain to her why I broke up with her and just left her in the snow, leaving her to cry by herself..."

"You fucking monster! Damn it, at least mend your relationship with her!" Nico sighed, she couldn't really say much about Nozomi's actions since she herself planned to manipulate Eli in such a way to make her feel better about her breakup with Maki.

"What about Maki-chan and Kotori-chan? You know I see the latter often..." Nozomi asked, indirectly taking a jab at Nico's personal life.

"To think Minami-san is still able to work with you even after what you did to her..." Nico sighed, still adhering to her resolution to not address Kotori by her given name.

"We're taking baby steps. You should apologise to them soon, Kotori-chan and I will be there on the sixteenth too. After all, we're designing the clothes for the guests..."

"I bet your company called international models over right?" Nozomi nodded, a smile appearing on her face.

"Correct, I've checked the list of models the company invited. My ex will be there so..."

"So you want me to give it to her? Damn it Nozomi-"

"It's purely random. But I don't want to see her in case you're asking."

"Fuck, Nozomi-"

"In case you draw a card with a picture of a blond woman with blue eyes, _don't_ mention my name. The country she's from will be listed down there so if you see 'Russia', seriously just don't mention me okay?" Nozomi begged, cupping Nico's face.

"Speaking of Russia, I almost forgot. Help me translate a couple Russian words 'kay?" Nico removed herself from Nozomi's grip, rubbing her cheeks to emphasise pain.

"Sure...?"

"What is 'ya lyublyu tebya'?" Nozomi flinched, it had been so long since she heard that particular phrase.

"You know sign language Nicocchi?"

"I think so? Rin never taught me much-"

"The meaning of that phrase is the equivalent of the hand gesture every time you go 'nico nico nii'." Nico tilted her head, her question unanswered.

"What does th-"

"I better go, my break's up, bye!" Nozomi hastily left the flower shop, bumping into Rin once again.

"Rin saw Nozomi-chan again nya!" Rin cheerily entered the shop, ready for work.

"Hey Rin, you're good at sign language right?" Nico asked, turning to face Rin.

"Sure am! Oh yeah that reminds me, Rin didn't continue Nico-chan's lesson right nya?"

"Forget that, I want you to tell me the meaning of this." Nico then held up her hands like she always did when she said 'nico nico nii'.

"Oh that! It means 'I love you' nya! Why? Maybe I should tell Kayo-chin that some time soon, she'll probably be surprised nya!" Rin grinned, pulling out her phone to message her friend. She then noticed her employer's face turning a bright red, startling her. "N-Nico-chan?! Why are you red nya?!"

"I-It's nothing!" Nico stuttered, covering her face with both of her hands. "G-Get back to work!"

"Aye aye nya!" With that, Rin went about with her duties, leaving Nico alone to process her thoughts.

 _'Eli... Eli loves me... What should I do...?'_

XXXXXX

"Hmm, this place is rather nice." Eli commented as she was brought around by Kotori since she was extremely early.

"Yeah, it's pretty fancy Ayase-san. Later, I'll bring you to the room where your clothes are prepared." Kotori replied, a smile on her face.

"Thank you very much, you're very kind."

"No worries, the one who's supposed to bring you around refused to see you though..." This brought attention to Eli, she was positive that the only two people she knew from Japan were Nico and...

"Is it someone by the name of Nozomi Tojo?" Kotori turned to face Eli, a shocked look on her face.

"H-How did you know?"

"We dated for years before she broke up with me recently. I knew she was a fashion designer based in Russia before she was transferred back to Japan again." Eli explained, a look of hurt hidden in her cerulean eyes.

"I'm sorry to hear that. She's dating someone else if you would like to know..." Kotori simply replied, masking her own hurt behind her ever smiling expression.

"Is she happy with her?"

"It could be a guy for all you know Ayase-san."

"No way, she's only into women. I know Nozomi well enough to know her preference."

"True, she's pretty gay... Yeah, she's very happy with Umi-chan."

"Umi huh? It's a nice name."

"Yeah... She was my ex-girlfriend actually..." Eli blinked her eyes at the coincidence before assuring Kotori.

"Someone else will walk into your life Minami-san."

"I know, she already did. But now I'm the one who ruined her ex's life." Kotori smiled sadly, regretting the direction of the conversation. "I must be talking your head off am I not?"

"Not at all, but I advise you to mend your relationship with her."

"Easier said than done. It's difficult to meet her especially when she's avoiding me."

"Try cornering her Kotori-chan, she's very easy to corner." A third voice appeared, her curvaceous figure leaning against a pillar.

"Nozomi-chan!" Kotori yelped, worried for the following events to come after knowing Eli's history with Nozomi.

"It's good to see you again Nozomi." Eli greeted, extending her hand For Nozomi to shake. Whether or not Eli was being polite or sincerely hoping to mend relations with Nozomi, Kotori would never know.

"Yeah it sure is. Look, I'm sorry that I-" Nozomi's apology was cut off by Eli, a smile on the latter's face.

"I know. So this time, make sure you keep Umi-san happy. If not, I'm going to kill you for real." Nozomi and Kotori shuddered, both for different reasons.

"A-Ayase-san..."

"Elichi, try not to murder someone okay? In fact, to show my sincerity I've attempted to set you up with someone that I know! Okay maybe you won't exactly like her but you can get a new friend yan?" Nozomi smirked at the thought of Nico and Eli together.

"I see, unfortunately I've already made plans with someone that I know after this ceremony. Maybe I'll talk to her after this?"

"Hmm, yeah maybe you should. She's pretty feisty~ Anyways, the ceremony is starting earlier and I'm here to tell you that you have to report at the ballroom in 30 minutes time." Nozomi shrugged, starting to walk off.

"You're really forgiving Ayase-san." Kotori commented, in awe of Eli's kindness.

"It's not that I'm really forgiving, it's just that I want to let go of my feelings for her. There's no point crying over spilled milk after all." Eli replied, sighing as she entered her assigned room. "You should try it with Umi-san."

"I will, thank you for chatting with me." Kotori bowed before leaving Eli to herself.

"Now then, what should I tell Nico...?" Eli hummed to herself as she pulled out her handphone to message Nico on Skype.

XXXXXX

"Nozomi, remind me again why am I doing this?" Nico asked Nozomi, with a bouquet of roses in hand. Nozomi chuckled to herself as she saw the roses in the bouquet. "What's so funny?!"

"I asked you to prepare one to congratulate her, not propose to her!" Nozomi clapped a hand on Nico's back, earning herself an angry glare from Nico.

"We ran out of flowers since this was last min work." Nico sighed, scratching her head. "By the way, am I even allowed to draw a card from whatever box like you said three months ago?"

"Yup, flower shops all over Japan are invited to do this!"

"No wonder you asked me of all people... Oh well, Nico-nii will definitely draw a good one!"

"Oh right Nicocchi, you can mention my name to the Russian model now. We just happened to meet and yeah." Nozomi said, a small smile on her face. "You better start lining up!"

"Oh shit." Nico cursed as she went up to queue for the model to present her flowers to. Unfortunately for her, she was the last representative to do so. "What kind of ceremony is this though...?" Nico sighed as she drew the remaining card in the box.

"Too bad I didn't get the Russian model..." A sigh could be heard from Nico's left, the owner of the voice coming from a male.

"Yeah, but hey you get the German one. She's hot too!"

"Perverts..." Nico muttered to herself as she took a look at the card she drew. _'I got Russia huh? Well no way am I gonna swap with those creepos...'_

"Excuse me? Are you unable to find the model you're supposed to give the flowers to?" A familiar voice asked Nico, tapping lightly on her shoulder. Nico couldn't place it, but she remembered hearing it before.

 _'It sounds sexy, kind and also very Russian... Wait, Russian?!'_ Nico whirled around, only to come face to face with a certain Skype friend she had met a few months ago.

"E-Eli?! What are you doing here?!" Nico asked, surprised to see Eli at the ceremony. Eli looked at Nico curiously before stepping back in shock.

"N-Nico?! What are _you_ doing here?!" Eli then noticed the bouquet held in Nico's hand, revealing that Nico was a representative. "You're a representative?"

"Apparently so. Nozomi simply told me to come here with flowers in hand..." Nico shrugged and handed the flowers to Eli. "For you, since you're the Russian model that I'm supposed to find... I think."

"O-Oh, I'm flattered..." Eli thanked Nico as she stared at the choice of flowers used. "U-Um Nico-"

"Regarding what you said to me that time..." Nico cut off, a knowing look in her eyes. Eli sighed, knowing that she was about to be rejected over her surprise confession at the end of her Skype conversation.

"I-I'm sorry that I-" Eli was cut off when Nico held up the same gesture she did at that time, a serious look on her face.

"Do you know what this gesture means?"

"Um... I hate you?" Nico mentally facepalmed at Eli's answer, not expecting her to be so negative.

"No! It's sign language for 'I love you'. That is my answer to your Russian phrase." Nico blushed, averting her eyes away from Eli's.

"Y-You... love me too?" Eli asked, dumbfounded by the reply.

"Yes I love you enough to realise that my efforts to seduce you in order to get over the fact that Minami-san took away my ex was wrong and in vain." Nico admitted, wrapping her arms around Eli's waist.

"That's gr- Wait, _what_?!" Eli stopped, looking down to face Nico. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Kotori and Maki together, the former making a cross sign with her arms.

"Please forgive me Eli. I'll whack some sense into Nozomi for dumping you later." Nico offered, releasing her grip on Eli's waist.

"If you truly want to express your love to me, make up with those two over there." Eli pointed to where Kotori and Maki are, Kotori covering her face after realising her efforts to tell Eli not to inform Nico about their presence failed.

"Okay then, I figured that I should have done this instead of hating them for months." Nico nodded and stormed over to the duo, with Maki holding Kotori in place before she could run off.

"Eeeep! Please don't beat Maki-chan! Please don't beat Maki-chan! And while you're at it, please don't beat me too?" Kotori begged, crouching into a ball. Maki sighed, this wasn't how she imagined their reunion to be like.

"Uh just don't hurt Kotori." Maki simply said, placing a protective arm over the human ball's body.

"Relax, you two. I've decided to give you another chance." Nico replied, amused at Kotori's unusual reaction.

"That's it? I thought knowing you, you'll be more... unforgiving." Maki trailed off, bringing Kotori up.

"If that was a few days after our super anti-climatic breakup, I'll throw the two of you off a bridge."

"Uh huh. So uh, are we at least acquaintances?"

"Welcome back to the friendzone you two." Nico pulled them into a hug, displaying her forgiveness.

"Thank you so much Nico-chan!" Kotori sobbed, scaring Nico greatly.

"This Kotori is the real thing right?" Maki nodded, understanding Nico's concerns.

"She was really worried about how to treat you the next time she saw you. She thinks of you as one of her closest friend after all..."

"I see. Hey uh, have you seen Nozomi around here?" Nico looked around, seeing no signs of a woman with a large chest.

"You mean beside that blond chick you're hugging just now? Yeah." Maki pointed to Eli, where Nozomi was standing with.

"Thanks. Oh and Maki-chan?"

"Yes Nico-chan?"

"Make sure Kotori's the happiest person alive. I'll throw you off a building if you don't." Nico warned, pointing a vulgar gesture with her fingers.

"You too Nico-chan." Maki nodded, placing a kiss on Kotori's cheek. Nico then went back to where Eli and Nozomi was, a smile on her face.

"I never expected you to know Elichi at all Nicocchi!" Nozomi smirked, elbowing a blushing Eli.

"Yeah, over an MMORPG. Say Nozomi? You mentioned breaking Eli's heart right?" Nozomi shuddered, not liking the tone Nico was using.

"Uh yeah... Nicocchi? I don't think I should stay here and bother you two lovebirds anymore..." Nozomi laughed awkwardly, starting to walk away but was stopped by Eli. "E-Elichi?!"

"I don't think it's polite to walk away when someone wishes to speak to you?" Eli smiled, her eyes twinkling with amusement as Nico rolled up her sleeves.

"Yeah that's right boob demon. So just stay right there and lemme sock you." Nico said as she clenched her fist, a grin plastered all over her face as she swung her arm.

Nico was later seen at a cafe with Eli, bruises all over her face as her oldest employee intervened at the last second and delivered a thrashing of her own.

XXXXXX

It was supposed to be a drama story... I allowed my humour side to enter once again. What else...? Oh right, the story was supposed to be more darker with Nico not letting go of Maki until Eli entered her house. Basically below is how the plot originally went.

 **-Nico saw KotoMaki banging.**

 **-Nico turned to MMORPG for solace, spotted Eli and then chatted her up.**

 **-Both of them became online friends via Skype.**

 **-Maki apologising for breakup.**

 **-Eli had a backstory where Nozomi basically dumped her, causing Eli to be heartbroken.**

 **-Eli visits Japan for work, Nico offers her to stay at her house.**

 **-Meet at airport, normal chat.**

 **-Enters Nico's house, sees how bad Nico's life was.**

 **-Eli comforts Nico, offering her help.**

 **-Nico accepts, two of them starts dating as a way to cope.**

Well looking back on it, maybe it's a good thing I accidentally deleted the original... Anyways, thank you for bearing with me to the end.


End file.
